Baseball glove construction



Aug. 15, 1961 H. B. LATINA BASEBALL GLOVE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed July 31, 1959 INVENTOR HARRY B. LATINA f a f ATTORNEYS Aug. 15,1961 H. B. LATINA 2,995,757

BASEBALL GLOVE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 51, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR HARRY B. LATINA ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice2,995,757 Patented Aug. 15, 1961 2,995,757 BASEBALL GLOVE CONSTRUCTIONHarry B. Latina, East St. Louis, 111., assignor to A. G.

Spalding & Bros., Inc., Chicopee, Mass, a corporation of Delaware FiledJuly 31, 1959, Ser. No. 830,854 3Claims. (Cl. 2-19) This inventionrelates to baseball gloves and mitts and particularly pertains toimprovements in the construction thereof.

The techniques of playing the modern game of baseball has shown greatadvancements in most phases, and it is especially apparent in the art ofbatting a pitched ball so that greater speed has been achieved in theflight of batted balls. As a consequence the glove and mitt equipmentgradually has been enlarged and the weight has also been increased toimprove the players ability to catch a batted ball and to increase theprotection afforded to the players. The increase in size and weight ofgloves and mitts has not entirely answered the problem of safety to theplayers and ball catching improvement, since larger gloves are notgenerally capable of fitting the variations in size of players hands. Inpractice, a player having an exceptionally large hand and wrist is wellsatisfied with the larger gloves, but the same fit and feel of securityexperienced by such players is entirely lacking with other players. Ofcourse, it has heretofore been proposed to provide wrist snugging strapsas an auxiliary means to the usual construction of gloves so that theetfective opening in the gloves may be varied in shape and size to suiteach players requirement. However, the provision of such auxiliary meanshas complicated the manufacture of gloves and has increased the expense.Furthermore, players have found that the auxiliary means has a tendencyto bind on the hand when the glove is removed rapidly and interfereswith the location of the hand in the glove.

The present invention relates to a new and novel glove constructionwhich eliminates the auxiliary means, and an object of the invention isto provide a simple solution for adapting the large size gloves to allplayers so that a construction of universal adaptability may be achievedin an economical manner.

The baseball gloves and mitts in general use today are constructed ofleather and padding material sewed and bound by lacings in such mannerthat the usual hand opening is substantially as wide as the main body ofthe glove, and the usual means to retain it on the hand consists of awrist strap which extends from side to side across the back of the hand.This form of construction is, of course, resorted to so that the handopening will fit all players. The auxiliary means, heretofore mentionedfor making the hand opening efiectively smaller as required by certainplayers, does not alter the initial size or width of the glove openingsince the ball catching action of the glove would be adversely affected.It is, therefore, a further object of the invention to provide a newmanner of constructing gloves so that the hand opening of the glove nolonger conforms to the usual construction, but embodies shaping andaltering the width of the heel portion to produce a taperingconfiguration in which the sides of the hand opening follow the shape ofthe hand and are adjustably retained closely about the players wrist inconjunction with the usual wrist strap.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be described ingreater detail in connection with the embodiment selected forillustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows in perspective a baseball glove from the rear, so that thehand opening and the appertinent construction is shown to advantage;

FIG. 2 is an end perspective view of the glove of FIG. 1 showing detailsof its coi'istruction in partial disassembled condition;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the glove of FIG. 1 showingthe hand and wrist opening adjusted to enlarge size; and

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the glove of FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 1 and 4 it will be appreciated that the glove 10 embodiescertain features which it will not be necessary to describe. In general,the glove 10 includes separate finger and thumb stalls which areaccessible through the hand opening 11 defined by the edge binding 12which extends about the opening from the little finger stall extension13 across the back of the glove to the thumb stall extension 14. Thehand opening is provided with a palm lining ply 15 which is bound to thefront ply 16 of the glove by the marginal lacing L at the heel of theglove. The glove 10 also includes a wrist strap 17 which is attachedtothe thumb stall extension 14 and extends across the glove to thelittle finger extension 13 so that a wrist opening 18 is defined by thewrist strap 17 and the adjacent portions of the glove body, includingthe extensions 13 and 14 and the palm lining 15 which covers the paddedheel portion of the glove.

The wrist strap 17 includes, as in FIG. 2, an outer ply 19 and an innerply 20 which are marginally secured.

by the binding 21 which may constitute a continuation of the binding 12.The free end of the wrist strap 17, or that end opposite the attachedend at the thumb extension 14 is provided with means to adjustablyattach it to the little finger extension 13. Such means comprisesproviding the inner ply 20 with tie thongs 22 and 23 which extend fromthe crotch 24. The outer ply 19 is split off from the inner ply 20 for adistance inwardly from the crotch 24 so that the outer ply 19 may belaid over the extension 13 and the inner ply 20 placed under theextension 13, as shown in FIG. 1.

The wrist strap 17 is secured in position by passing the thong 22through aperture 25 in extension 13 and passing thong 23 through asimilar aperture 26, the two ends of the thongs being tied together in aknot 27 at the outside of the extension 13. The end of the outer ply 19is provided with pairs of apertures 28 and 29 (FIG. 2), and theextension 13 carries a tie-down thong 30 in apertures 31 and 32 formedtherein. The thong 30 is passed through the apertures 28, as in FIG. 1,and the ends are knotted at 33 so that the plies of the wrist strap arefirmly secured to the extension 13 to form the wrist opening.

In constructing the body of glove 10, the padded heel portion of thebody is formed at the side adjacent the little finger stall with anopening 35 which separates the extension 13 from the face of the gloveat the parting line which extends up the side to the closed end 34, andis tapered toward the heel of the glove from the end 36 to the end 37 ofthe extension 13. The margins of the opening 35 are bound together bylacing the heel closing thong L along the tapering margins and endingthe thong by binding the end portion 36 under the last loops adjacentthe end 34 of the side opening 35. Suitable eyelets are provided alongthe margins of the opening 35. A similar opening 38 is formed at thethumb extension 14 so that the extension 14 is free of the glove bodyand the side margin tapers toward the end 39 of the extension 14. Againthe adjacent length of the heel closing thong L is laced through aseries of marginal eyelets so that the opening 38 is securely closed.

In the construction of the side openings 35 and 38, the tapering formserves to narrow the width of the heel portion of the glove body withoutcausing any narrowing of the width of the ball catching pocket in theface ply 16 of the glove. In addition to the novel result of taperingthe side margins of the hand opening 11, and forming side openings 35and 38, the lacing or thong L serves to bring the respective thumb andlittle finger extensions 14 and 13 down and inwardly to constrict theeffective Wrist opening 18, and the wrist strap 17 further closes thewrist opening so that the glove is securely fitted about the wristportion of the players hand without reducing or constricting the moreinwardly located area of the hand opening 11. Thereby the glove issecurely fitted at the Wrist, and the players hand and fingers are notcramped or forced into an awkward or unnatural position.

One method of adjusting the size of the wrist opening 18 is shown inFIG. 3, wherein thethong L has been lengthened by resetting the end 36to produce a lengthening effect at the side opening 35, which additionallength is worked down the tapering margin and accumulated in the loopportion 36a at the outer end 37 of the extension 13. The lengthening ofthe loop portion 36a allows the end 37 of the extension 13 to open upand form a gap G which increases the size or enlargement of the wristopening 18. This enlargement may be effected without changing thetie-down of the wrist strap 17 from that shown in FIG. 1. What has justbeen described for adjusting the little finger extension 13 to increasethe wrist opening 18, may also be carried out at the thumb extension 14so that the loop portion 36b of the heel closing thong L is lengthenedto produce a similar gap G. Obviously, the production of gaps G may beselectively carried out without changing the wrist strap 17 to suit theplayers requirement, or the gaps G may be closed, as in FIG. 1, and thewrist opening 18 may be adjusted by retying the thong 30 in apertures 29after pulling thongs 22 and 23 further out at apertures 25 and 26 andresetting knot 27. Any combination of adjustments may be used to meet adiverse range of conditions in practice.

From the foregoing description, it may be appreciated that the Wristopening 18 can be adjusted to suit each player by making the severaladjustments in a selective manner. so thatone or more of the adjustmentprovisions will form the opening as desired. Regardless of whichadjustment provision is used, the'players hand will not' be forced intoan unnatural position in the hand opening, and the tapering constructionat openings 35 and 38 at the sides of the heel portion will act toretain the glove in a properly balanced position so that there will beeliminated any tendency for the glove to feelheavy at one side or theother. This produces a further secure feeling. The closing action of theglove when catching a ball will not be interferred with in view of theflexing of the glove portions at each side of the openings 35 and 38,which flexing merely moves the wrist strap 17 down toward the palmlining 18 to cause a more pronounced feeling of security and assurancethat the glove will not be knocked off.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been describedabove, however, it will be understoodthat having disclosed theprinciples of the improvement changes and alterations may come to mind,and it is the intention to include all such changes, alterations andequivalent constructional features within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A baseball glove including a body having a front face with a ballreceiving pocket and a back with a hand opening therein, said face andback forming a thumb stall at one side of said hand opening and fingerstalls spaced therefrom, one finger stall being adjacent the sideopposite said thumb stall, a heel portion on said body having arelatively straight outer margin and being of less length than thespacing between said thumb and one finger stall, said body havingopposite angularly related marginal portions iconvergently extendingfrom said thumb and one finger stalls to said heel portion, extensionson said back overlying the end portions of the straight outer margin ofsaid heel portion, flexible connecting means securing an outer margin'ofeach extension to the adjacent angularly related marginal portions ofsaid body,

said connecting means retaining said extensions in positions definingthe sides of a wrist receiving opening, and a Wrist strapinterconnecting said extensions and overlying said heel portion todefine with said extensions and heel portion a closure for the wristreceiving opening in which said extensions are adapted to engage thesides of the hand of a wearer.

2. A baseball glove including a body having a face ply with a ballreceiving pocket and a back ply with a hand opening therein, said faceand back plies forming a thumb stall at one side of said hand openingand finger stalls spaced therefrom, one finger stall being adjacent theside opposite said thumb stall, a heel portion on said body adjacentsaid hand opening providing a base margin extending generally widthwiseof said body, said body having opposite angularly related marginalportions convergently extending from said thumb and one finger stallsinto the opposite ends of the base margin of said heel portion, a liningply in said stalls and extending over said heel portion and havingmargins substantially conforming to said angularly related convergentmarginal portions of said body, extensions on said back ply overlyingthe end portions of said heel portion, releasable con-. necting meanssecuring an outer margin of each extension and the adjacent margins ofsaid lining ply to the angularly related margins of said body, and wristengaging means interconnecting said extensions and overlying said liningply to define with said extensions and lining ply a wrist receivingopening of less width than the space between said thumb and one fingerstalls and in which said extensions are adapted to engage the sides ofthe hand of a wearer.

3. A baseball glove including a body having a face =ply with a ballreceiving pocket and a back ply with a hand opening therein, said faceand back plies forming a thumb stall at one side of said hand openingand finger stalls spaced therefrom, one finger stall being adjacent theside opposite said thumb stall, a heel portion on said body adjacentsaid hand opening providing a base margin and extending into saidadjacent end of theheel portion,

an extension on said back ply directed inwardly from said split marginalportion to overlay the adjacent end of said heel portion, said lacingmeans securing said extension in position on the heelportion of thebody, and wrist engaging means connected adjacent one end to saidextension and the opposite end being connected to the back ply adjacentsaid thumb stall at theadjacent end of said heel portion, said wristengaging means. and said extension on .said back ply forming with theadjacent portions of the heel .a wrist receiving opening which is ofless width than the hand opening and wherein said extension engages theside of the hand of a wearer,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,404,214 MiZllno Jan. 24, 1922 1,545,998 Barrett July 14, 19252,324,219 Latina July 13, 1943 2,434,171 Latina Jan. 6,1948 2558,544Delsalle June 26, 1951 2,625,686 Latina Jan. 20, 1953

